"Sa, sa... groin!?"
Clara looked back and forth between the canteen in her hand and Rohan, slumped under the blazing sun.
Her head spun, disoriented for the first time in a while.
Even though she knew she needed to act quickly, her steps creaked as if she were a malfunctioning machine.
"Oppa! Let’s, uh, get to some shade first..."
Placing the canteen in the shadowed area, Clara approached Rohan.
She put one of his arms over her delicate shoulders and hoisted him up, despite him sitting clutching his forehead as though a headache tormented him.
Though her slim physique seemed incompatible with such strength, those with magical abilities were never to be judged by appearance alone.
"Up we go...!"
With a careful touch, Clara lowered Rohan to the ground, leaning his back against the wall.
If the shade had been wider, she might have laid him down more comfortably, but such arrangements would have to wait for Shion to secure a better spot.
"Clara...?"
"Yes! I’m right here!"
Rohan’s half-closed eyes searched for her and called her name.
He looked worse than before, and Clara was growing increasingly worried.
"How are you feeling? Do you want some water?"
Rohan shook his head, insisting he was fine.
But Clara puffed out her cheeks in frustration at his habit of always brushing things off as "no big deal."
This time, however, was different.
Even with his usual stubbornness, Rohan was too dizzy to get up through sheer willpower.
They had no choice but to take a break and apologize to the others for the delay.
"I’m sorry. Let’s rest for a bit before we move on."
"Oppa... there’s nothing to apologize for. Please, just close your eyes and sleep."
Rohan hesitated, biting his lip, but eventually let his eyelids fall.
"Can you wake me up in ten minutes?"
"That’s way too short. I’ll cool you down, so sleep properly, okay?"
Without giving a clear yes or no, Rohan’s labored breaths filled the air as he slipped into unconsciousness.
He had already fallen asleep, leaving only those muffled breaths in his wake.
Clara stared blankly at Rohan’s sleeping face, her mind replaying Shion’s earlier advice.
Following her instructions, she began loosening his academy uniform with trembling hands.
"This is an emergency measure...! Just an emergency measure."
Even as she repeated the word "emergency" to herself, a strange feeling refused to leave her head.
She removed Rohan’s jacket and unbuttoned his sweat-drenched shirt.
The climate inside the dungeon was stifling—even Clara, who didn’t usually feel the heat, had beads of sweat forming on her forehead, and Shion had been sweating profusely earlier.
Rohan’s clothes were soaked through, rendering any need for wetting them unnecessary.
"Oppa’s scent is stronger than usual... This... I like it."
The human smell mixed with sweat was surprisingly unique.
Clara didn’t feel a shred of discomfort from Rohan’s scent. Instead, she had to suppress an urge to bury her face closer to it.
After taking off his shoes, Clara hesitated before carefully undoing his belt and unzipping his pants, loosening everything around him.
"Now, fan him!"
Clara gathered some leaves from a monster’s vines scattered on the ground and began gently fanning Rohan.
She felt a pang of disappointment at the diminished scent but kept fanning him diligently.
"Oppa, are you asleep...?"
She called out, just in case, but he was fast asleep, oblivious to the world.
Rohan, defenseless for the first time, drew Clara’s curious gaze.
She found herself engrossed in the moment.
As her busy hands fanned the air, Rohan’s expression relaxed slightly.
"I’ve secured a spot."
"───!!!"
Startled by the sudden voice, Clara instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.
Her focus had been elsewhere, leaving her oblivious to Shion’s approach.
"The interior was clear. It’s cooler than outside, suitable for resting."
"Th-thank you for your effort."
"It was nothing. How’s Rohan?"
Shion folded up her collapsible staff and tucked it away as she asked.
Clara glanced at Rohan, slumped against the wall, and shared the situation.
"He asked to be woken up in ten minutes... but he fell asleep right after."
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"Hmm. That’s far too short to recover properly. We’ll wait until he wakes up naturally while taking care of him."
Shion suggested they move Rohan inside, and together they carried him into the dimly lit interior, where the sunlight barely penetrated.
"Ah... It’s cool in here!"
The temperature was noticeably lower.
Though it still felt like midsummer, compared to the scorching heat outside, the interior’s 30-plus degrees felt almost refreshing.
"This spot should suffice."
"Understood!"
They carefully laid Rohan on a jacket spread out on the ground. Clara even brought his shoes and placed them neatly beside him.
"Clara, we need to address the heatstroke more thoroughly."
"...?"
Clara tilted her head in confusion.
Shion, noting her hesitation, decisively flung open Rohan’s half-unbuttoned shirt.
"Heatstroke and sunstroke are both dangerous, but his magically tempered body should recover quickly."
With that, she yanked off Rohan’s pants.
"?!?!"
Clara’s eyes widened, spinning with embarrassment.
"I’ll handle the fanning. Use the canteen to cool him down."
Shion promptly left to collect more vine leaves for fanning, leaving Clara behind with Rohan.
"..."
Clara placed the cold canteen against Rohan’s neck.
Although it wasn’t actual heatstroke, cooling him down felt like the right thing to do.
Seeing Rohan’s expression relax slightly, Clara sighed with relief and continued applying the canteen to other parts of his body.
Until she reached the last area.
"Ugh..."
She noticed his dark, tight-fitting underwear.
Its simplicity and snug design weren’t particularly remarkable, but the color matched her own, and that detail made her feel flustered.
She knew she should look away, but her gaze remained fixed.
The damp fabric clung tightly, revealing everything underneath.
It was thick, almost too large to be grasped by one hand. When Clara first saw it, she had thought it might be a hidden dynamite stick.
"Oppa must be uncomfortable... living with that."
Lost in her thoughts, Clara pressed the canteen against the upper part of Rohan’s thigh.
The heat radiating through her hand was intense, and the scent filling her nostrils was almost intoxicating.
In the silent effort of cooling Rohan down, the two girls worked diligently until he stirred.
"Mm... What time is it?"
"Sleep. It hasn’t been ten minutes yet. Drink some water."
Waking up was a relief, but Shion quickly fibbed about the time and handed Rohan some water.
After sipping it, Rohan muttered something before closing his eyes again, leaving Shion and Clara to breathe a sigh of relief.
"He seems better now. Let’s keep watching over him."
"I’ll continue fanning him..."
"We’ll take turns. When Rohan recovers, he can thank us himself."
Shion smiled faintly, easing the tension. She watched Clara fan Rohan before getting up.
"Do you mind if I take off my outerwear? The heat is too much."
"Ah, of course..."
Shion removed her thick outer layer, leaving only her sleeveless shirt, which clung to her figure. Twisting her clothes to wring out the sweat, droplets dripped onto the ground.
Clara, one hand still fanning Rohan, glanced at his sleeping face, cheeks reddening as she gently fanned herself to cool down.
"What an insane climate... If Rohan hadn’t been here, I might have collapsed instead."
Shion took a sip from the canteen before passing it to Clara, who momentarily paused her fanning to wet her throat.
"Clara."
"Yes?"
"Rohan’s condition might not be ordinary heatstroke."
"Do you think it’s something else...?"
With a serious expression, Shion touched her chin thoughtfully.
Glancing at Rohan’s sleeping figure, she lowered her voice.
"It could be the side effect of using a skill."
"Ah..."
Clara nodded, recalling Rohan’s mention of skill consequences.
***
Back at Orion Academy, Class 1-A was abuzz.
"Something’s strange! Something’s definitely off!!!"
"Yeah, no doubt about it."
Even Dick, usually indifferent, agreed with Gilbert’s dramatic exclamation.
It was the time for practical lessons, yet the instructor had vanished after telling the main cast to wait. Rohan hadn’t answered his phone either.
"Ichinose, do you know anything?"
"Not really..."
Ichinose pulled out her smartphone and sent a text to Rohan asking where he was, but naturally, no response came.
Amidst the speculative chaos, the classroom door opened, and a pair of tall rabbit ears appeared.
"Good day, my adorable 1-A! Due to sudden work, your main instructor won’t be available today. So, you’ll be having joint lessons with me, Instructor Carrot!"